Machine for drilling and tapping mains



Oct. 23, 1956 'F. H. MUELLER ET AL 2,767,600

MACHINE FOR DRILLING AND TAPPING MAINS Original Filed Feb. 19, 1952 68IX 4 78 70 8o 66 P2 .1. 72

me 30 s4 //a 94 I22 28 I30 I 32 2 I 134 I 82 24 INVENTOR 20 84 FRANK n.MUELLER JOHN J. SMITH ATTORNEYS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 23, 1956 F. H.MUELLER ET AL 2,767,600

MACHINE F'OR DRILLING AND TAPPING MAINS Original Filed Feb. '19, 1952:SShaets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR FRANK H. MUELLER JOHN J. SMITH M1440, 19ml?Maud ATTORNEYS F. H. MUELLER ET AL MACHINEIFOR DRILLING AND TAPPINGMAINS Original Filed Feb.. is, 1952 Oct. 23, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 V..LT

mwm M5 46 MN .A R0 FJ BYWQMX ATTORNEYS United States Patent thee2,767,600 Patented Oct. 23, 1956 2,767,600 MACHINE FOR DRILLING ANDTAPPING MAINS Frank H. Mueller and John J. Smith, Decatur, 111.,assignors to Mueller C0., Decatur, 111., a corporation of IllinoisOriginal application February 19, 1952, Seriai N0. 272,35tl, now PatentNo. 2,745,669, dated May 195.6. Divided and this application April 14,1954, Serial No. 423,057

6 Claims. (Cl. 77-38) This invention relates to tapping machines of thetype adapted to cut an opening in a fluid chamber to provide an outlettherefrom, and to thread the cut opening to receive a valve body forcontrolling flow through the outlet or to receive a service T forconnecting branch lines to the fluid chamber. Such operations arecustomary, for example, in attaching lateral or branch line connectionsto a fluid conduit, such as a water or a gas main.

In particular, this invention pertains to improvements in a machine ofthe type disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,291,979 to Mueller etal. This application is a division of our copending application, SerialNo. 272,354, filed February 19, 1952, now Pat. No. 2,745,669.

The machine disclosed in the aforementioned patent, While outstandinglysuccessful for its intended purpose, possesses a number of operatingdisadvantages. Additionally, such machine is susceptible ofsimplification and other improvements which increase its service lifeand facilitate its operation. For example, it has been found that duringthe operation of such machine in a horizontal position, the cuttings orchips resulting from cutting and tapping operations tend to be carriedbetween the flop valve and its seat to thereby prevent a tight closureof the valve. Further, when the cap is removed from the barrel, the rushof water therefrom tends to carry such chips against the sealing meansin the cap to thereby foul the same and necessitate cleaning beforereplacement of the cap.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvedmachine of the type described which inhibits the tendencies of cuttingsto become lodged be tween the flop valve and its seat when the machineis operated in a horizontal position.

t is another object of this invention to provide an improved machine ofthe type under consideration which will prevent cuttings from foulingthe seal within the barrel cap when the machine is operated in ahorizontal position.

It is a further object of this invention to provide simple means on amachine of the type described for holding the boring bar fixed againstturning, when removed from the machine, in order to facilitate theconnection and disconnection of the cutting tool or the stop carrierthereto.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a central vertical sectional view of a tapping machineembodying this invention attached to a main and showing the position ofthe parts at the termination of a tapping operation.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the machine shown inFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the machine shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of the machine illustratingthe chain yoke and the connection of the ends of the machine-supportingchain thereto. Parts are broken away to illustrate details more clearly.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figure 1 a curved wallchamber, such as a gas or water main 20, having mounted thereon theusual malleable iron saddle 22 with a gasket 24 interposed therebetween.The saddle 22 has an opening 26 therethrough that is counterbored at itsouter end, as at 28, to receive a flop valve housing 3%. A gasket 32 isinterposed between the saddle 22 and the housing 30.

The housing 36* is hollow and bulges outwardly at one side thereof toform a lateral enlargement 34- for reception of a flop valve 36 when thelatter is in its open or inoperative position, as best shown inFigure 1. The flop valve 36 is carried by a shaft 38 journalled in thewalls of the housing so that when the shaft is turned by an exteriorhandle 40 the flop valve is moved between open and closed positions. Theupper end of the flop valve housing is interiorly threaded, as at 42,for reception of one end of a cylinder 44 which, together with the valvehousing 38, constitutes the barrel 46 of the machine. The upper end ofthe cylinder 44 is closed and sealed by a gasketed bonnet or cap 48having a top 50 from which projects a cylindrical upward extension 52and a depending annular skirt 54 that is interiorly threaded forengagement with outer threads on the upper end of the cylinder. Thus,the barrel 4-6 and the cap 43 form an interior fluid chamber 56.

Extending through the cylindrical extension 52 of the bonnet it? is aboring bar 58 which is adapted for rotary.

and axial movement within the fluid chamber 56. Suit able packingdil isinterposed between the boring bar 53 and the cap extension 52. The upperend of the boring bar is squared, as at 62, for reception of a ratchetwrench s4 for rotating the bar, and is provided,

below its squared end, with a shoulder 66 against which seats afeedregulating thrust collar 68 conventionally retained on the bar by alocking set screw 70. A yoke 72 of well-known construction is pivotallycarried by a feed collar 74- threadedly mounted on the cylindricalextension 52 of the cap, and the upper end of the yoke contacts the topof the thrust collar 68 to thereby impart a downwardly longitudinalforce thereto when the feed collar is rotated by radial handles 76thereon. The upper end of the yoke 72 is substantially U-shaped, as bestshown in Figure l, to embrace the bar 58 when in engagement with thethrust collar 63.

The thrust collar 68 has a depending cylindrical sleeve 78 havingrelatively-fine regulating threads 80 thereon which are engageable withcomplementary inner threads in the upper end of the cylindrical capextension 52. These threads 80 are of the same pitch as the threads 82on the cutting and tapping tool 84 (later described) carried by theinner end of the boring bar 58 and are much finer than the threads onthe exterior of the extension 52. In use, the yoke ,72 and feed collar74 are employed to impart a longitudinal thrust to operation of thelatter to cut an opening in the main 20; After such opening hasbeen'cut, the threads 80 on the thrust collar 68 and in the capextension 52 are engaged and the operation of tapping the opening by thetool 84 proceeds.

A bypass valve 86 is mounted on the flop valve housing 30 and isemployed to control communication between the portions of the fluidchamber 56 above and below the flop valve seat 88 to facilitate bothtight engagement of the flop valve 36 with its seat and subsequentopening of such valve.

The barrel 46 is held against the saddle 22 by means of a chain 90extending about the mainj20 and having its opposite ends secured to thebarrel.

The construction thus far described is relatively ventional, and sinceits operation is set forth in detail in the tool 84'; during the theaforementioned Mueller et al. patent, no further description isnecessary.

In the operation of prior machines of this nature, it has been foundthat, when such machine is operated in a horizontal position, chips orcuttings tend to climb up the flop valve seat 88 to thereby lodgebetween the valve 36 and such seat. In order to overcome thisdifficulty, the fiop valve housing 30 is interiorly enlarged adjacentthe seat 88 to provide a section having an inner wall 92 which convergestoward the inner end of the barrel 46 and smoothly merges with a sectionhaving a cylindrical inner wall 94. As a result of this construction,the flop valve seat 88 extends radially outwardly for an appreciabledistance beyond the periphery of the flop valve 36, when the latter isseated, so that a pocket 96 is formed that collects cuttings andprevents the same from lodging between the flop valve and its seat.

Additionally, as previously stated, it has been found that, when a priormachine of this nature is operated in a horizontal position, chips orcuttings are carried against the gasket sealin the cap 48, when thelatter is removed from the barrel 46, to thereby foul such seal andnecessitate cleaning thereof before replacement of the cap. In order toovercome this difficulty the skirt 54 is provided with a plurality ofradially-arranged tubular handles 98 that are open at their outer ends.Ports 100 in the skirt 54 aligned with the inner ends of the tubularhandles 98 provide communication between the interior of such handlesand the inner side of the. skirt. The skirt 54 is provided with an innercircumferential groove 102 adjacent the top portion 50 of the cap 48,and in such groove is disposed an O-ring 104 for sealing engagement withthe outer sides of the outer end of the barrel 46 when the cap isthreaded thereon.

By means of this construction, it will be seen that, when the cap 48 isslowly unthreaded by the handles 98, liquid in the chamber 56 will drainslowly through the ports 100for escape through the tubular handles 98.without a sudden rush of liquid, which would carry chips into theO-ring groove 102 to thereby foul the O-ring 104. Additionally, thisconstruction serves as an auxiliary drain if the flop valve 36 isdefective and fails to close entirely in order to permit theestablishment of a greater pressure difierential to close the flopvalve. The draining function of the skirt ports 100 also augments theaction of the by-pass valve 86 when the latter is in its drain position.

The lower end of the boring bar 58 has an enlarged holder 106 forremovably carrying the cutting and tapping tool 84. Resting on anexterior shoulder 108 on the holder 106 and secured thereto by a setscrew 110 is a guide collar 112 of substantial diameter and which may bemade of metal, rubber, or leather. This guide collar 112 cooperates withan accurately-machined guiding cylindrical portion 114 in the flop valvehousing 30 to properly maintain the bit or tool 84 in accurate alignmentduring the intial cutting of an opening in the curved wallof the main 20and also prevents side shifting of the bar 58 during this cuttingoperation. After the opening has been cut, and during the subsequenttapping operation, the guide collar 112 passes inwardly beyond the flopvalve seat 88, but during the tapping operation, it will be evident thatno guiding of the bar 58 is necessary.

The holder 106 is provided with a tapered socket 116 for receiving thecorrespondingly tapered shank 118 of the tool 84 which has a forwardcutting portion 120 and the rearward threaded tapping portion 82.Diametricallyopposed arcuate recesses or notches 122 are provided in therim of the socket 116 for reception of a transverse locking pin 124 inthe tool shank 118. The pin 124, which is of a length equal to orslightly less than the outer diameter of the holder 106, is notcompletely received within the notches 122. Hence, a side portion 126 ofsuch pin protrudes outwardly beyond the inner end of the boring bar 58,that is, outwardly beyond the rim of the socket 116, for engagement bythe inwardlyextending flange 128 of a retaining nut 130 threaded ontothe tool holder 106.

The tool 84 is provided, rearwardly of its tapping portion 82 andforwardly of its locking pin 124, with a transverse bore 134 forreception of a knock-out pin 136 that may be conveniently carried, whennot in use, within one of the tubular handles 98, as by means of anenlarged portion 138 on one end of such pin that is threadedlyengageable within the outer end of such hanle. in use, the knock-out pin136 is inserted through the tool bore 134, and when the retaining nut130 is unscrewed, the outer or forwardend thereof. engages the knock-outpin and dislodges the tapered shank 118 of the tool from thecorrespondingly-tapered socket 116 of the tool holder. Thereupon, theknockout pin 136 may be withdrawn from the transverse bore in the tooland the retaining nut 130 completely unscrewed and slipped over the tool84 so that the latter may be removed from the socket 116 in the end ofthe boring bar. in this connection, it is pointed out that the innerdiameter of the flange 128 on the retaining nut 130 is greater than themaximum diameter of the tool 84 (i. e., the tapping portion 82) so thatthe tool may be inserted in its socket 116 and the nut then slipped overthe tool and threaded into engagement with the holder 106, as describedabove, and a carrier (not shown) for a corporation stop (not shown) orfor a service T (not shown) is connected thereto. By means of thecarrier a corporation stop or a service T is supported on the end of theboring bar 58, and by rotation of the latter the stop or service T isreadily screwed into the threaded opening in the main 20. Reverserotation of the boring bar 58, after insertion of the stop or T in themain, readily disengages the boring bar from the carrier, so that theboring bar may be lifted away from the carrier, leaving the stop or Tthreaded into the main, and pulled upwardly into the chamber 56 abovethe flop valve seat 88. After the flop valve 36 is closed, the entiremachine may be removed from the main 20, by detaching the anchoringchain 90, and an appropriate wrench may be applied to the corporationstop or T, and to the carrier, for unthreading and removing the latterfrom the stop or T.

In order to securely hold the machine in operative position on the main,there is provided a chain yoke 154 comprising a collar 156 which restsagainst an upwardlyfacing exterior shoulder 158 on the barrel 146provided by one end of the flop valve housing 30. Ondiametrically-opposite sides of the collar 156, there are providedparallel pairs of outwardly-extending lugs 160 having opposed flat innerside faces 162 and arcuatelyrecessed upper surfaces 164. The chain isadapted to pass around the main 20 and to have its opposite endsdetachably connected to these lugs 160 on the chain yoke 154. Thefastening means for each end of the chain comprises a chain harp 166having a stern 168 projecting through a washer 174 and having a tensionnut 184 threaded thereon. The washer 174 is provided with projections178 on opposite sides thereof that have arcuate surfaces complementarythereto and seating in the arcuate recesses 164 in the upper sides ofthe lugs 160 to permit rocking adjusting of the stem 168.

In order to facilitate connection and dis-connection of the cutting tool84 or the stop carrier to the tool holder 106 of the boring bar 58,there is provided on the chain yoke 154 a lateral enlargement having asquare socket 194 for reception of the upper square end 62 of the boringbar. Hence, when the cap 48 is unscrewed from the barrel 46, the ratchetwrench 64 may be removed from the boring bar 58 and the latter invertedto place its square end 62 within the socket 194 to fixedly hold theboring bar while an appropriate wrench is applied to the retaining nutor to the stop carrier to connect or disconnect the same to or from thetool holder 106.

It thus will be seen that the objects of this invention have been fullyand effectively accomplished by the provision of a drilling machine ofimproved design. It will be realized, however, that the specificembodiment of the invention which as been disclosed to illustrate theprinciples of the latter is susceptible of changes without departingfrom such principles. Therefore, this invention includes allmodifications encompassed by the spirit and scope of the followingclaims.

We claim:

1. In a drilling machine, a barrel cap having a top and a dependingannular skirt provided with means for detachably engaging over the endof a barrel, sealing means disposed within said cap adjacent said topfor engagement against the barrel, and said skirt having a porttherethrough between the bottom edge thereof and said sealing means.

2. In a drilling machine, a barrel cap having a top and a dependingannular skirt provided with means for detachably engaging over the endof a barrel, sealing means disposed within said cap adjacent said topfor engagement against the barrel, at least one tubular handleprojecting radially from said skirt, and said skirt having a porttherethrough between the bottom edge thereof and said sealing means andaligned with the interior of said handle.

3. In a drilling machine, a barrel cap having a top and a dependingannular skirt provided with inner threads for engaging withcomplementary outer threads on the end of a barrel, said skirt having aninner circumferential groove adjacent the inner end of said threads forreception of packing means to seal against the barrel, and said skirthaving a port therethrough between the bottom edge thereof and saidgroove and in alignment with the interior of said handle.

4. In a drilling machine the combination comprising: a barrel; a capthreaded thereon; an inner circumferential groove in the skirt of saidcap adjacent the top thereof; packing means in said groove sealingagainst the inner end of said barrel; a tubular handle on said caphaving an open outer end; and port means in said skirt between thebottom edge thereof and said groove and providing communication betweenthe inner side of said skirt and the interior of said handle.

5. In a drilling machine the combination comprising: a barrel adapted tohave the inner end thereof sealed against a main; a boring bar providedwith a non-circular projecting outer end sealingly mounted for rotationand reciprocation within said barrel, the inner end of said bar beingprovided with threaded means for detachably connecting a tool thereto;an outwardly-facing shoulder on said barrel; a detachable collar engagedwith said shoulder; flexible means adapted to engage the wall of themain opposite said barrel and to have its ends detachably secured tosaid collar; and means defining an outwardly-facing recess in saidcollar complementary to the outer end of said bar for fixedly retainingthe latter, when removed from said barrel, dun'ng tool-connecting anddisconnecting operations.

6. In a drilling machine having a barrel adapted to have its inner endsealed against a main, a boring bar provided with a non-circular outerend mounted for axial and rotary movement within the barrel, a collar onthe barrel, and flexible means having its ends detachably secured to thecollar and adapted to be passed around the main to retain the barrelthereon, the combination of a socket in the collar complementary to theouter end of the boring bar for reception of the boring bar outer endwhen the bar is removed from the barrel for the operations of connectingand disconnecting a tool to the other end of the bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

